In PlayStation Plus We Trust: November 5, 2013

Sony’s PlayStation Plus is a subscription-based service that allows members to get weekly and monthly access to discounted games on the PlayStation Network, as well as the occasional free game. Sony has calculated that the $50/year service has granted thousands of dollars in savings.

Everyone loves free games, but nobody likes a free game that’s a piece of HDD-hogging garbage. “In PlayStation Plus We Trust” is a weekly feature outlining the new free addition(s) to the Instant Game Collection to help you decide whether that newest freebie in the Store is worth your time.

Two things about Dragon’s Dogma: It’s a game that is not for everyone, but it’s also a game that everyone should play to decide on their own. This is a hugely ambitious, sprawling RPG, a bastard child of Skyrim, Dark Souls, Shadows of the Colossus, and many more. There are massive creatures with steadily more bizarre and terrifying designs, and a deep pool of customization options for your character. The story is ridiculous, and I’m still not entirely sure about all of it, besides the fact that the main character is an Arisen, or a sort of Chosen One-type fable that will rid the land of its blight.

Such a stupidly huge game will be rough around the edges, and Dragon’s Dogma certainly is. However, the expansion, Dark Arisen, added a good amount of content and cleaned up a lot of the issues of the first game (and includes it as well). This is the version Sony is giving us, and it’s a pretty sweet treat to kick off November. There are tons of things to do in the extremely challenging and massive open world, and the combat feels fantastic. There is an ambient multiplayer aspect, which is a bit dry, but hopefully over the next couple of days the number of people online will increase and make the mode a bit more robust, as some of the missions are extremely difficult without some friends along for the ride. Regardless, DD is quite good and is something everyone should try.

Verdict: Worth Downloading

Deals

Slim pickings this week for deals, but Guacamelee! and Mortal Kombat PS Vita are worth the asking price. Let us know what you’re going for in the comments, and we’ll see you next week!